preservation programmes at the national library board ... · introduction • under the nlb act...

Preservation Programmes at the National Library Board Singaporeat the National Library Board Singapore

by

M h d Bi S liMohamed Bin SalimProject Manager

Professional Services, NLB

8 May 2007BALI INDONESIABALI, INDONESIA

INTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTIONINTRODUCTION

• Under the NLB Act 1995, NLB is to provide a repository of materials

bli h d d d i Sipublished or produced in Singapore• Also to acquire and maintain a

h i ll ti f t i lcomprehensive collection of materials related to Singapore and its people.NLB h th t t t bli ti t• NLB has the statutory obligation to preserve materials deposited with the BoardBoard.

BACKGROUNDBACKGROUNDBACKGROUNDBACKGROUND• Prior to 2003, conservation work was

done as and when necessary or whendone as and when necessary or when there were funds

• Opening of new building in Nov 05• Opening of new building in Nov 05, provided impetus to reorganize the collection and to fulfill our obligationcollection and to fulfill our obligation

• Also to support the need to establish NLB as a premium centre forNLB as a premium centre for Singapore heritage materials, improve access to these materials and to minimise deterioration and prolong their shelf life

PRESERVATION PROGRAMMESPRESERVATION PROGRAMMESPRESERVATION PROGRAMMESPRESERVATION PROGRAMMES

• Since 2004, NLB has carried 3 preservation programs

• Two of them deal with paper-based materials

• Digital Resources Services has an on-going program to archive and preserve online resources


• 2003 saw the birth of PCA Project and completed in Mar 07

• Involved the fumigation, conservation, microfilming and digitization of about 100 000 rare and heritage materials100,000 rare and heritage materials, including major donor collection

• Huge undertaking due to size fragility and• Huge undertaking due to size, fragility and the various formats involved

• Big challenge as new skills had to be learntBig challenge as new skills had to be learnt• Outsourced to National Archives

LONGLONG--TERM GOALSTERM GOALSLONGLONG TERM GOALSTERM GOALSEstablish NLB as a premium &

f fone-stop reference centre for Singapore rare/heritage materials

I d f ili Improve and facilitate access to rare/heritage materials

P l h lf lif f /h iProlong shelf-life of rare/heritage materials

P hi i l & i lPreserve historical & social memory, and the literary heritage of Singaporeof Singapore


• Show photos of various conservation work done!!


• In 2004, another project, Singapore Pages, was launched aimed at preservation over 200,000 rare and heritage materials.

• Due to be completed in Mar 08• Similar job scope as the earlier one• Similar job scope as the earlier one• Outsourced to several vendors


• NLB has not started on full-scale AV preservation

• Began consultation with National Archives in Apr 07Archives in Apr 07

DIGITAL PRESERVATION DIGITAL PRESERVATION PROGRAMMESPROGRAMMES

• Since 2006, NLB has an ongoing programme to harvest Singapore-related

b f h I fweb resources from the Internet for archivingPl f h l d i hi i f ll• Plan for whole domain archiving of all dot.sg websites from 2007, estimated to be around 70 000 registered domainsbe around 70,000 registered domains

• Also requires publishers to deposit 2 copies of their publication distributedcopies of their publication distributed online

DIGITAL PRESERVATION DIGITAL PRESERVATION PROGRAMMESPROGRAMMES

• NLB has put in place a digital preservation infrastructure for a long-t d d tterm access and usage and to preserve the integrity of the contents through generations of transformationgenerations of transformation.

• Comply with ISO standard for Open Archival Information System (OAIS)Archival Information System (OAIS) and meet the Trusted Digital Repository (TDR) requirements.Repository (TDR) requirements.

• Targeted to be ready by end 2008


• In late 2006, put up a Preservation and Conservation Policy and Strategy Paper

• Covers general preservation strategy that include acquisition, physical environment, disaster planning etcdisaster planning etc.

• Also preservation strategy for specific material formatmaterial format

• Still an internal document• Excludes digital resources• Excludes digital resources

CHALLENGESCHALLENGES

Knowledge and ExpertiseNone with formal training on preservation and

conservationOutsourced all conservation repair worksBasic knowledge is still important to

communicate and deal with vendors effectively

CHALLENGESCHALLENGES

Identifying the CollectionSelection criteria

• Heritage, historical & literary values• Unique & irreplaceable

I l d i ll ti Include various collections • Rare books, Legal Deposit, Closed Stacks,

Donor CollectionDonor CollectionOther collections

• Maps, posters & literary manuscriptsp , p y p• Need to engage a Consultant

CHALLENGES

SORTING THE COLLECTIONS

Sort by treatment types : fumigation, conservation, y yp g , ,microfilming

E f i l C t t d iEngage a professional Conservator to advise on treatment types

Decided to fumigate all

Items for digitization sent to another vendor for Items for digitization sent to another vendor for color scanning

CHALLENGES

IDENTIFYING & SELECTING A VENDOR

Local vendor for better supervision All-in-one, excluding digitization, to

minimize handling Quantity of items – needs vendor

with adequate resources Outsource to a vendor with good g

track record

CHALLENGES

LOGISTICS AND OPERATIONS

Local vendor for better supervision All-in-one, excluding digitization, to

minimize handling Quantity of items – needs vendor

with adequate resources Outsource to a vendor with good g

track record

LOGISTICS & OPERATIONSSpace

• Large work area

Q arantinedWorkflows

• Quarantined area

W hTracking • Within NLB

• Within Archives • Warehouse storage

• Account for each item

• Within Archives

• To ensure no b ttl k • Proper climate

controlbottleneck

ISSUESISSUES Convincing management – for fund

and to microfilm as a preferred ppreservation method

O t OR D I h Outsource OR Do In-house

Logistics & operations – identify/sort materials, transportation, tracking, workflow, work spaces, p

ISSUESISSUESExtent of Conservation Repair

EXTENT OF PRESERVATION & CONSERVATION

PPreserve the

content?Preserve

the content?original look?

A tif t?Artifact?

Minimal

Full restoration l

repair?esto at o

?

A FULLY RESTORED RARE BOOK

PICTURES OF A RARE BOOK CONSERVED NOW…BEFORE AFTER

RARE BOOKS IN ARCHIVAL BOXES

RARE BOOK ROOM

OTHER ISSUESOTHER ISSUES

Need to maintain clean & pest-free work areas

M f l t ff t bManpower – use of casual staff to be supervised by a full time staff

Open & effective communication channel

LEARNING POINTSDedicated staff to ensure continuity – full y

time Preservation Librarian since Oct 05

Good supervision and management skills

Good tracking mechanism to manage Good tracking mechanism to manage such a big project

Strategic partnership to ensure success

O ll ti t t f llOverall preservation strategy for all workflow– ready in Apr 06

CONCLUSION

Preservation – a continuous process not j t t l i ti ll tijust to salvage existing collection

Need to implement preventive programsp p p g

Preservation strategy should include staff & customers

Allow staff to acquire “new” skills andAllow staff to acquire new skills and knowledge

THANK YOUTHANK YOU ……

preservation programmes at the national library board ... · introduction • under the nlb act...

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